Why Mountain Dew introduced the Mountain Dude to refresh ‘Do The Dew’

Mountain Dew this week became the latest marketer to reinvigorate an iconic tagline, launching a campaign that pairs “Do The Dew” with a latest brand character called the Mountain Dude. For the PepsiCo-owned soda brand, the effort is a lighthearted way to boost consumer attention, affinity and awareness, said JP Bittencourt, vice chairman of promoting at Mountain Dew.

“’Do the Dew’ has been around for 30-plus years, and it was an excellent time, definitely during the peak of summer season, to roll out the campaign and latest direction for the brand, which was all about just getting people off their asses and having a rattling good time,” Bittencourt said.

The latest campaign encompasses a pair of 30-second commercials that begin with bored consumers using smartphones and virtual reality headsets as they lounge on donkeys. Enter the Mountain Dude, a swaggering figure with a ‘70s-inspired look complete with long hair, a flowing beard and lime-green fur coat. Once consumers open and sip a Mountain Dew, they’re transported to the mountains for a game of kickball with yetis and a pickup football game with rams. 

Along with the 30-second spots, the campaign includes 15- and 6-second spots across linear television, premium online video, social, digital and out-of-home channels. The campaign was created with Goodby Silverstein & Partners, which worked on the brand’s Super Bowl ad for its Baja Blast flavor.

“The Mountain is in the brand’s DNA, and this latest work represents a world filled with countless possibilities,” said Margaret Johnson, chief creative officer at Goodby Silverstein & Partners, in a press release.

Boosting cultural relevance 

While the campaign uses barely edgy humor to capture consumer attention, its message is rooted in the brand’s consumer insights.

“We went out and talked to our consumers, and there may be this notion of wanting to exit and be with other people, and sometimes just needing slightly kick to go and do this,” Bittencourt said. “I assumed that it was a meaningful message, nevertheless it’s also being done in a way that’s not too judgy or judgmental.”

Consumers can expect the Mountain Dude to come to life across quite a lot of real-world experiential executions through the remainder of the 12 months and into the next. The character allows Mountain Dew to bolster its cultural relevancy, either in ad hoc activations or in additional planned-out efforts.

Mountain Dew has long made the outdoors and gaming a part of its brand identity. Earlier this 12 months, the company launched two yearlong rewards programs that focus on consumers inquisitive about each categories. The latest campaign builds on those activities.

Meanwhile, the refresh of longtime tagline “Do the Dew” comes as several brands have brought back iconic slogans that first found popularity in the ‘90s. Sister brand Gatorade revived its “Is It In You?” tagline, while competitor Coca-Cola brought back Sprite’s “Obey Your Thirst” and Fanta’s “Wanta Fanta.”